章節 481: Siege on Yongtein: Turning the Tides (1)

Meanwhile, Elizabeth looked over the reports with a gloomy face. The first day of fighting was already this fierce, leading to forty thousand casualties. A huge portion of their combat strength was removed, and the battle was nowhere close to concluding. Not to mention, there were the lurking threats of the Four Great Nobility Families around the corners. The Jian, Jun, Shui, and even the Li Family were converging here. The kingdom needed to settle the battle decisively and soon too, otherwise, they won't end up with a mere forty thousand casualties. It would lead to total annihilation!

She sighed. She gave the Imperial Princesses and Imperian Qiang ample opportunity to end this battle on their own terms. That was the agreement they had: to let them try and resolve this with as few casualties as possible. To that end, Elizabeth convinced General Petra and the entire military's upper echelon into agreeing, but… there was still no word back from them. That obviously reflected poorly on Elizabeth, as they criticized her decisions. Many even thought that the Imperial Princesses returned to the empire's side. It did not paint a good picture for Elizabeth. However, the most upsetting thing was not this, but the fact that twenty thousand people died for her decisions, people she could have saved had she been more decisive. Trying to save everyone, only to let the grains of sand slip through her fingers. That was not mercy. That was greed!

That must be why she gave me this report, Elizabeth realized, glancing up at General Petra.

"I assume Your Highness understands," the woman stated sternly. "At this rate, we won't win, much less survive. We need to use every card at our disposal."

"…" The girl fell silent.

"Twenty thousand people died already. How many more-"

"I understand," Elizabeth suddenly spoke up with a heavy tone. "You have my permission."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Nightfall was one of the rare times an army could let up their guard, since it was extremely dangerous and awkward to risk a night battle. No one could see their allies on the frontlines, and no one could command their troops from the back. That was not to say that a night battle was out of the question, of course. The battle that led to Lord Korogin's capture was one such example; however, they remained rare. The kingdom might be more on edge with their lack of walls, but the Imperial Council slept soundly behind theirs. A few patrols yawned as they watched the kingdom's camp. Nothing happened for the past five hours, so they resorted to playing cards or chatting. The light mood was graciously welcomed with alcohol. It looked like nothing would happen for the rest of the night. Little did they know, that was not the enemy they should have been watching.

Boom! A large explosion tore through the quiet night and sent shockwaves through the vast capital. Millions of people were roused awake as they tried to trace the source of the explosion. The answer was easy to find though. Anyone with a tall vantage point would discover that an iconic sight was now missing. In fact, it was the tallest building in all Yongtein, Liutianhe Pagoda! The generals and officers immediately panicked because they knew that Prime Minister Pon-Wai was there. He was one of their top priorities to protect! They issued orders for soldiers to rush over and investigate when everyone was suddenly stopped in their tracks. A humongous, monstrous aura had descended on them from the heavens! It was so overwhelmingly powerful and all-encompassing that it felt like a storm had appeared in the skies above. It was unbelievable! Over four hundred thousand soldiers glanced up in abject horror as one figure hovered there, reminiscent of a god overlooking the mortal world. The acting Sect Master, Elder Argo, raised his wing, as a horrific surge of Martial Energy erupted from his body.

"Don't blame me for this, humans," he emotionlessly said. "Blame yourselves for being weak."

"Everyone, run away!" the generals shouted.

Elder Argo swung down and the phantom image behind him did the same. The pinnacle art of the Featherwind Sect activated: Demon Wind Requiem! A thin, white, and inconspicuous light appeared to divide the heavens in two, appearing like a streak of starlight in the dark sky. It then rapidly grew to shower the army in its majestic glory. The spectacle would have been beautiful, if not for the enormous wind pressure that slammed into everyone and everything, making it impossible to breath. That was right. This was not a pretty phenomenon, but an enemy attack! Although some of the soldiers snapped out of their trances, it was too late. The attack was near-instantaneous. Boom! A humongous wing crashed into the army encampment in an earth-shattering explosion! This time, the entirety of Yongtein and beyond were caught in a violent earthquake as they saw a towering dust cloud rise through the night. At the epicenter of it all, one bird remained, while a grand gorge stretched through the land and the army was nowhere to be seen…

From afar, the kingdom spectated with looks of amazement. They came out of their tents just in time to see Yongtein attacked by that earth-shattering white wing. Even here, they could feel the wind rush past them, and the ground shake underneath their feet. It was an unbelievable display of power! While they might have seen it before in the Battle of Guanhuang, it remained every bit as terrifying as it did back then. Only monsters like the Sword King could do anything against it! Elizabeth saw everything and closed her eyes in resignation. She wanted to avoid this, but it seemed inevitable. People never took a threat seriously until they saw the consequences for themselves. A weapon needed an appropriate demonstration! She prayed this would be enough to scare off the Imperial Council from continuing this fight any further. She hoped Princess Xiuying and Ming would forgive her for this.

Somewhere in the Inner City, someone carefully peeked out a window to the skies above Liutianhe Pagoda. A large sparrow was there, circling around, apparently searching for something. The one who attacked the army might have been Elder Argo, but the one who destroyed the pagoda was Elder Terus. They attacked the two places simultaneously! Eventually, Elder Terus gave up and left. Only then did the man observing exhale in relief. He turned to the other people in the room with a bow.

"They appeared to have left, Your Excellency."

"Good…" Prime Minister Pon-Wai replied half-heartedly.

He was sleeping when the disturbance happened, so he did not even have the time to change out of his sleepwear. Surrounding him were his Protectors, Imperial Sentinels, and guards from the Jian Family, all of whom were highly talented and extraordinary Perception Realms and yet, none of them felt the slightest bit safe. That was a strength that transcended the human world!

Previously, Prime Minister Pon-Wai predicted that the Imperial Princesses or the Alzar Kingdom might attack Liutianhe Pagoda again, so he had changed positions without telling anyone, but he never expected the Featherwind Sect might be ruthless enough to attack in the middle of the night. He glanced at the teacup he drank from, where the vibrations from the attacks caused the tea to spill, despite the large distance. That hinted at just how powerful they were! Clenching his fists tightly, he would be lying if he said he was calm. He might have heard of their feats in the Maelstrom Gulf, Liguang, or even Guanhuang; however, it was hard to visualize without witnessing it firsthand. He always thought his subordinates might have been overexaggerating in their reports. That would have been the more comfortable lie… Alas, as the saying goes, seeing was believing. Prime Minster Pon-Wai was forced to reevaluate the massive threat known as the Featherwind Sect once more. They were a threat to the Xingyuu Empire, no… the entire human world!

"What are your orders, Your Excellency?"

Instead of replying though, the prime minister showed a rare frown, which unnerved everyone. His ever-present smile had become a symbol in the Imperial Council, to show his overwhelming confidence and control over any situation. He made it seem like every problem, no matter how difficult it may be, was a trivial matter. The impact this had on everyone's mentality could not be overstated. He, himself, had become the anchor that moored this wandering ship! That was why when his ever-present smile disappeared, that feeling of assurance also disappeared. They finally realized the gravity of the situation. They might really lose this battle! Prime Minister Pon-Wai sensed the shifting mood and donned his smile again. Everyone had a role to play, and naturally, that included him.